My Most Painful Memory
by skygirl90
Summary: AkitoOC Memory from two years ago, Shiori traveled on to the Sohma property. She saw in the window a boy that would forever change her life. But is he willing to let her stay with him?
1. Ch 1

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Fruits Basket Characters or Ideas

My Most Painful Memory

Ch.1

Shiori walked mournfully down the sidewalk. Her eyes counted the lines from her school to her house. A few cars drove past her, but not many.

Suddenly Shiori noticed an open gate. It wasn't like her to pry into other people's lives, but for some reason she couldn't help ducking her head into the yard.

It was beautiful; there were flowers and fountains. There was a rock walkway and a rather large house… and a window with a boy resting against the sill. She stared at the boy, her eyes locking with his. All sound ceased. He had dark hair and cool eyes. Her mouth dropped a bit as she continued to stare at him.

"Excuse me miss…" Came a voice from behind her. She jerked around to see a guy with hair covering one of his eyes. He was tall and muscular. He grabbed her arm and began walking her toward the house.

"Where are you taking me?" Shiori said frightened.

"Don't worry, you won't remember anything in a minute," He didn't look at her as they neared the door. Shiori freaked out and, with her book bag, hit him where it hurt. His grip dropped from her and she ran toward the exit. She reached the gate and pushed it open quickly. She suddenly paused and looked back at the boy in the window.

He was smiling.

Shiori stared at him only for a moment longer before she left. She knew that from that moment on she would love him.

The boy in the window.

---Two Years Later---

Shiori woke up early the next morning to her parents screaming downstairs. "Looks like another normal day…" she yawned the rest of the sentence.

Sliding off the edge of her bed she got ready for school. She picked her school uniform from its hanger and dressed quickly. As she dressed she tried to remember the images from her dream the previous night. The one where she almost met the boy in the window.

He smiled at her and waved her over to him, but she never actually reached the window.

She shook her head and grabbed her book bag. Opening the door she braced herself for the bolt out of the house. In the living room she could hear her mom yell at his father that he was nothing but a bum. She sighed and closed door behind her.

Shiori walked down the hallway of the school staring at the feet of everyone walking near her. Suddenly she was knocked off of her feet, along with another girl. She looked up, "Oh dear! I'm so sorry!" Shiori scurried to pick up all of the loose papers that were flung across the hallway floor.

"No, I'm sorry it was all my fault." The girl smiled and helped her gather up the papers.

The girls looked at each other and smiled. When they had picked up all of the papers they stood facing each other. "The name's Shiori," she said holding out her hand.

"I'm Torhu," she said taking the other girls hand and shaking it kindly.

"Listen, I'm really sorry about bumping into you," Shiori rambled on.

"Oh, that's okay--" Torhu began, but was cut of when two boys came up behind her.

One was tall with orange hair, he was well muscled for his age, and obviously did martial arts. He had red-ish eyes and a sarcastic smile. "Hey Torhu, we have to get home."

The other was Yuki. Everyone knew Yuki. He had silver hair and purple eyes. He had a soft smile and was kind. "Who's your friend?" he asked Torhu as he looked over at Shiori.

"Oh! Were not--" Shiori began, but was cut off when Torhu spoke.

"Her name is Shiori." She smiled at the girl, and Shiori couldn't help but smile back. "Would you like to walk home with us?" Torhu offered.

"Um… I…" Shiori was never comfortable around strangers ever since the incident at the house. But this was different; they were kids from her school. "Sure." She smiled at the boys and walked out the building with them.

They walked in silence for the first part, but that was before the two boys began to fight.

Shiori was confused at first because the kept calling the other the name of an animal, Kyou would keep saying things like "Stupid rat!" and Yuki would just reply by calling him "Stupid cat!" Shiori figured it was just name calling.

Her and Torhu talked about school work and what they wanted to to after they got out of highschool, since they were all seniors. "I just want to do something that will get me out of my parents house," Shiori sighed. Torhu nodded understandingly.

"My mother wanted me to finish high school, because she never got the chance to. I think I'll go to the Tokyo University if I can raise enough money, but..." Torhu took a deep breath and didn't finish. The walked a bit more in silence with the two boys snapping at each other in the background. Shiori once again watched the ground. Suddenly the group stopped.

Shiori looked up and the first thing she saw was the open gate. It was the same gate as last time. The two boys walked around them toward the gate. Shiori's mouth dropped open when she saw the man with the hair over his eye. It was the same man as last time.

She watched entranced as the two boys, Kyou and Yuki, walked up to the man. They put their hands on his shoulder and smiled at him. "Hey Hitori, what's happening?" Kyou smirked. Hitori's facial expressions didn't change, and so he turned his head to look at Torhu and Shiori.

"Torhu," he nodded in greeting, and then tilted his head toward Shiori. "Ms?" He asked.

Shiori's mouth flopped open and then closed as she tried to say something, "uh... I... um... uh..." she stuttered. Hitori gave her an odd look. Yuki, Kyou, and Torhu exchanged confused glances. Hitori closed his eyes and turned to Yuki, "I must be going. Wish Shigure well for me," he smiled at Shiori and Torhu and then walked to a nearby vehicle. Shiori watched in a trance.

After Hitori drove away Kyou and Yuki walked over toward Shiori. "What's with the stuttering?" Kyou asked rudely.

Shiori bowed her head in embarresment. "I've... I've seen him before. He tried to kidnap me," her voice wavered in fright remembering the day.

Yuki and Kyou once again looked confused, "Hitori? Are you sure that's the same guy?" They asked.

Shiori nodded. "Yes, and there was another... I walked into that yard about two years ago and there was a boy about my age. He was inside staring at me through the window and then... he came." Shiori stopped and shook her head. "How do you guys know him anyways?"

Yuki and Kyou laughed. "He's part of the family. What did the boy in the window look like?"

Shiori blushed and described the boy. "His eyes seemed cold, but I didn't mind. He was slender and pale with dark hair." A silence filled the group and Shiori got worried. "What? Was it something I said?" The group turned and told Shiori that it was getting late. Shiori agreed and they finished their walk to her house. At Shiori's door they said their goodbyes.

"I'll see you at school on monday!" Torhu yelled smiling from the sidewalk. Yuki and Kyou just gave polite smiles. Shiori smiled and waved back after they started walkin away she opened the door to her house bracing herself for the sound of her parents yelling. But there was no sound.

Shiori walked cautiously through the house. There was a middle-aged woman sitting in the living room watching TV, she had a spaced out smile on her face and there was a disgusting odor in the air. "Who are you?" Shiori asked the woman. The woman turned her head, causing her limp hair to be noticed. There were dark circles under her bloodshot eyes.

"Oh, you must be Shiori. I'm the babysitter, your parents are off on a cruise... I think they said 'to fix their relationship' but they didn't want to leave you alone, so..." The woman shrugged her shoulders. Shiori narrowed her eyes, it was just typical of her parents to get up and leave, but to leave her with someone who was an obvious drug addict was different. Shiori turned and left the room.

Slamming the door to her bedroom she heard the sound of a few vehicles pulling up in her driveway.

None of them looked familiar.


	2. Ch 2

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Fruits Basket Ideas or Characters

(A/N: All poems in this chapter are my original work, so please don't steal them)

My Most Painful Memory

Ch. 2

The loud music from the lower room traveled swiftly to Shiori's ears. She sighed deeply as she looked down at her half finished English assignment. She'd been working on it for an hour, and normally she would have had if finished.

Shiori slammed her textbook shut and looked at her clock. It was 10:30 pm! She stood up and stomped over her door. Throwing it open she made her way downstairs. Of course, she had to fight through a thick fog of smoke.

-Downstairs-

Shiori lingered on the last step, frozen in fear. The room was completely packed with people, and things lay broken all around. The potent smell of whiskey hung in the air, and almost everyone seemed to be holding a half empty bottle. There were couples crudely making out on the couch, while others were passing around a joint or snorting some white powder off of her parent's expensive glass coffee table.

One of the men, who appeared to be in his early twenties, saw her. He smirked a drunken smirk, and took another swig of his beer. Slowly, he walked toward her. He was obviously drunk, because he nearly fell over three times. Shiori stood wide-eyed like a deer in the headlights.

He casually leaned up against the wall and eyed her up and down. She had changed out of her uniform, and was now wearing a pair of denim shorts with a spaghetti strap tank top. Her hair was pulled back in a high ponytail.

"Hi," he said as smoothly as he could muster. The words seemed to place pressure on her face, because she tilted her head away from him. His eyes drifted hungrily over her once more as she took a step back up the stairs. "What's your name?" He tried to sound seductive, but only managed to gurgle.

He took a step up the stairs to follow her. "None of your business," she spoke softly, while the venom dripped sluggishly off her words. He was crowding her, so she took another step backwards up the stairs. She looked around hastily for her sitter, but she was nowhere to be found.

"Ah… Why so cruel?" His lips were now closer to her face. His breath was hot, and smelled of tobacco. The look on his face was a lazy emptiness, and it frightened Shiori. Cold shivers ran swiftly through her body stopping in the empty pit of her stomach.

Shiori jerked back and ran up the stairs. 'Why?' her mind screamed. Her feet pounded heavily on the stairs, followed by another. Shiori stumbled, but quickly recovered to finish her dash to her room.

She ducked into her room, and tried to lock the door, but the man was already there. He slammed the door open, causing Shiori to fall backwards onto the floor. She landed at the foot of her bed, and scrambled to find something to protect herself with. Franticly she grabbed her stuffed animals and through them at him, but he just knocked them away with a flick of his wrist.

Shiori reached for more ammunition, but there was no more. There was nothing. There was no one. All there was, was a man towering over her, and she was completely defenseless. He kneeled over her, and pinned her to the ground. Shiori struggled and kicked, but it was all in vain. He was too strong.

In the night she screamed for help, but her cries were lost in the loud ruckus from downstairs. No one heard her cry in the darkness as the moon peeked into her window. No one heard his laugh as he killed her innocents.

_It was dark,_

_It was cold,_

_And the blood in the park_

_Was not very old._

_My body was torn,_

_My spirit was worn_

_I was too weak,_

_Lost without breath_

_I could not speak._

_I watched you commit your crime,_

_I watched you do it with perfect rhyme._

_You killed me with your lust,_

_And watched me die with every thrust._

-Later-

Shiori walked painfully down the deserted dirt road. Her legs were covered in blood, and she was holding the top of her shirt. Her vision was blurry from tears and pain. 'Why…' her mind whispered as she fell to her knees. 'Why…' her mind whispered as she fell on her stomach. 'Why…' her mind whispered as her eyes drifted shut. 'Why…" her mind whispered, but she could not answer for she had gone far away. She'd locked herself away from the pain. Away from the memory of his smiling face blurred by her tears.

The morning would come, it was inevitable, but she would let herself awake to see it.

_You killed me with your lust,_

_And watched me die with every thrust…_


	3. Ch 3

My Most Painful Memory

Ch. 3

"Kyou… You didn't have to come…" Torhu blushed as she spoke. She carried a basket in front of her as the two of them made their way down the path to town. They were going to get groceries.

"Don't worry about me," Kyou blushed as well.

Torhu smiled, and they both continued walking. The day was cool and a warm breeze kissed their cheeks. Torhu hummed out a sweet tune and even the birds stopped to listen. Kyou walked contently by her side.

Suddenly the humming stopped, but was replaced by: "Oh My God!" followed by the sound of Torhu's basket crushing against the hard ground. Kyou jerked up his head and took in Torhu's horrified stance. His eyes widened and he slowly turned his head forward.

In front of them, on the ground lay a girl. The breeze helpfully brushed the girls hair out of her face.

Her mouth was slightly open, and there was a rather nasty bruise on her cheek. Her skin was pale and dirt stuck onto the places where her tears had ran. Blood stood out brilliantly. Torhu ran to the girl's side and rolled her over onto her back. "Shiori!" she cried when she recognized the girl.

Kyou stayed where he was, too frightened to move. Torhu, however, was taking charge. Throwing Shiori's arm over her shoulder, she stood. Slowly she made her way back down the path toward the house. "Kyou, could you grab the basket, please?" she called back to him.

Kyou bent down and picked up the basket, but did not reply. For some reason he couldn't find his voice. He had just seen Shiori yesterday, and she was smiling then. She had been happy, and full of life. When he had seen her on the ground she looked… Dead.

When they reached the house, Torhu used her foot to open the door. Shigurai and Yuki were sipping tea in the living room, which they dropped when they saw what Torhu was carrying. The dropped the teacups would lay forgotten until much later in the evening.

Torhu laid Shiori onto the floor while Yuki ran to call Hatori. For once, Shigurai was speechless. Torhu instructed him to bring her some towels, and a bowel of hot water. He nodded and obeyed. Kyou stood, forgotten, in the doorway.

Torhu did the best to clean Shiori off before Hatori arrived, but it also revealed more bruises. Hatori could do much for Shiori, but he did all that he could. She was alive, and for that, everyone was grateful.

Kyou looked at Shiori's face as she laid in Torhu's bed. Her eyes flickered lightly, but did not open. Kyou turned to focus on the conversation between the rest of the group.

"How long till she recovers?" A concerned Torhu asked Hatori.

"Can't really tell…" He sighed and gave a short glance at the girl. He turned and faced Shigurai, "have you gotten a hold of her parents yet?"

Shigurai shook his head, "no, but the kids say they walked her home yesterday and offered to go over there in person.

Hatori nodded and silence fell once again. Kyou sighed and looked back at Shiori, except this time she was looking at him as well. Kyou let out a small squeak of surprise and jumped backwards. Everyone turned to see what was wrong and were met with the same surprise.

However, Shiori did not share their expression. Normally if you woke up in a room full of people you didn't know you'd at least be curious to 'WHY?' But Shiori didn't even look curious; in fact, she didn't even seem to notice anyone. Her eyes were empty and her face was blank.

"Shiori?" Torhu ventured closer. Shiori's head fell limply to the side, and her eyes barely seemed to register Torhu. Her lips moved allowing a quiet word to sneak out, "mother?"

Torhu blushed a bit and shook her head, but Shiori didn't see. Shiori's eyes began to drift shut, but she managed to speak once more. "Torn… I was…" Her eyes closed and two teardrops trickled out, and were absorbed by the pillow fabric.

No one said a word, confused by the sleeping girl.


	4. Ch 4

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Fruits Basket characters or ideas.

My Most Painful Memory

Ch. 4

Torhu, Yuki and Kyou walked out the door waving goodbye to Shigure as they went. Shigure yelled for them to be safe as he lingered in the doorway to watch them go. For once, there wasn't a sick thought in his mind. There was an understanding silence in his brain. Yuki and Kyou found his new maturity rather likable.

Torhu seemed a bit solemn since they had picked up Shiori. She hadn't smiled or laughed, and she wasn't her usual airhead-self. This worried Yuki and Kyou, because they weren't quite sure themselves what happened to Shiori. Did Torhu know something they didn't? The figured it best not to ask since it was putting her in such a down mood.

Soon the three seniors found themselves at Shiori's house. Torhu marched up to the door with a determined look on her face. She knocked lightly on the door and fidgeted while she waited. There was a low rustling sound, and what seemed to be the sound of someone kicking some tin cans aside.

In a few moments the door opened, and a pretty ragged lady answered the door. There were a lot of beer cans all over the floor, but she managed to crack the door enough to see them. She squinted a bit at the bright sunshine, "what do you want?" she slurred.

Torhu seemed to be caught off guard, because her eyes widened a bit in shock. The woman's hair was a mess and there was stuff smeared all over her face. Torhu opened her mouth to say something, but no words would come out. Yuki stepped in to save her from any further embarrassment. "Is Shiori here?"

"Shiori? Who's that?" All three of them now had their mouths hanging open. "Is she that teen girl that lives here? The one I'm supposed to be watching?"

Torhu nodded and the lady then again spoke in her harsh tone. "Yah, she's in her room, just go on up."

The three of them once again seemed shock, "were are her parents?"

"Off somewhere far away, I guess." The woman walked away tripping over things as she made her way back to the couch to pass out once again. The three senior students made their way upstairs in search of Shiori's room to get her some clothes and things.

Upstairs-

Yuki and Kyou waited outside in the hallway as Torhu grabbed Shiori's uniform, backpack and some extra clothes and packed them up in a large suitcase. Once they were done they began heading back downstairs. About halfway down the stairs Torhu stopped and said she had to go back.

"Why?" Questioned the curious Yuki.

"Well… The stuffed animals all over the floor… I think we should take her one."

Yuki smiled at Torhu's thoughtfulness and agreed. Torhu smiled and ran back while Kyou and Yuki waited in the hall.

She approached the door, but suddenly stopped. She looked in half expecting to see a ghost. She walked in and stood at the foot of the bed. There was a blanket bunched up, and it seemed to be breathing. Torhu watched the blanket carefully as she bent down and picked up one of the teddy bears.

She sighed and figured it to just be her imagination. She began to walk toward the door when something grabbed her by the ankle. As she fell she twisted to see a hand coming out from under the blanket.

She hit the ground with a thud and cried out in pain. Suddenly there was a shirtless man towering over her, and he was smirking. Torhu only had to look at him to know he intended her harm.

He took only one step toward Torhu before Kyou knocked him on his ass.

**((A/N: Oh, by the way, all my faithful readers I'M IN LOVE!))**


	5. Ch 5

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Fruits Basket characters or ideas.

My Most Painful Memory

Ch. 5

Kyou stood protectively in front of Torhu. He glared dangerously at the stranger. There was an eerie silence that filled the room. Yuki suddenly appeared by Torhu's side.

"Mrs. Honda, are you alright?" Yuki asked, and it seemed to knock Torhu out of a trace

"Huh?" Torhu jerked her head left to look at Yuki. "Oh, yes, I'm fine." She gave an uncomfortable smile as Yuki helped her to her feet. She dusted herself off, and Kyou gave the man one more threatening threat, before they all left together.

Later, when they arrived at home Torhu went up to check on Shiori. However, the boys stayed down and talked with Shigure.

"Hatori will be over shortly to do an evaluation, before he takes her to the hospital." The two boys nodded. "He wants us all to be there while he does the evaluation, since the evaluation is to find out if she knows about… The curse." The boys nodded again. They had been quiet ever since they came back.

When Hatori came over they all gathered in Shiori's temporary room. Hatori held Shigure behind, before they went in.

"Akito wants to be the first to know the results, so the decision on whether or not she goes to a hospital is up to him." Hatori spoke calmly. Shigure nodded and looked in at the sleeping girl. She looked so peaceful at the moment, but earlier she had been crying.

"I understand," was Shigure's reply.

They all sat around in the room while Hatori tapped Shiori's shoulder lightly. Shortly Shiori opened her eyes. "Hello," she creaked.

"Hello," Hatori smiled at her.

"What do you want?" She looked around at all the people, and when her gaze landed upon Torhu she smiled. "Mother!"

Torhu blushed. Hatori jotted down some notes on a piece of paper. "Shiori?" he asked.

Shiori turned her head back toward Hatori, "yes?"

"Can you tell me who you all see in this room?"

"Certainly," she smiled. Shiori sat up, supported by her pillows. She lifted her hand and pointed to Yuki. "That's my pet rat, isn't he cute?" she giggled slightly. Her finger now landed on Kyou, "and that's the pesky cat that likes to chase him around." Her finger moved toward Shigure, "this is the family dog. He used to try and keep the cat from chasing my rat, but he gave up cause there was no use." Everyone's mouth dropped.

Her finger moved to Torhu, "and this is my mother. She's always there when I need her."

Hatori dropped his pencil in shock. There was no way in hell that could have just been a coincidence. Shigure and him exchanged glances, they knew that Akito wouldn't let her go for this, but what would he do with her.

Hatori excused himself from the room, "you may go back to sleep if you wish."

Shiori smiled and laid her head back, "actually I'd like to eat something, I'm rather hungry."

Torhu jumped up and hurried into the kitchen to throw something together, while the rest of the men went into the sitting room. "Hatori…" Kyou started.

"Don't bother." Yuki said, interrupting Kyou. "He has to tell Akito no matter what. There's nothing you can say to change his mind. He has rules he needs to follow in order to protect this family, he cannot make any exceptions because she is a classmate of ours."

Kyou glared, "THAT WASN'T WHAT I WAS GOING TO SAY!"

"Huh? Then what is it Kyou?" Hatori said.

"Until we can figure out what is going on, is it possible that she can stay here with us?"

"I'm afraid that is really up to Akito…" Hatori sighed.

"But you will suggest it, right, seeing as she is most comfortable here with us?"

"I'll see what I can do." Hatori rose to his feet, "but it would help if I caught him in a good mood." He smiled and showed himself to the door, while noises of Torhu's cooking floated in from the kitchen.

All they could do was wait.


	6. Ch 6

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Fruits Basket characters or ideas.

My Most Painful Memory

Ch. 6

The bird suddenly fluttered off at the sound of Akito's voice. "No… If that is indeed what she says, you will bring her here. There is one too many outsiders in that house already." He focused his narrow eyes on Hatori.

He saw him flinch a bit, but nodded in agreement. "I understand. I'll fetch her first thing in the morning. She should be stable enough to move by then."

"Fine," Akito sighed in annoyance. "This is such a bother… You may leave now, I need my rest." Hatori bowed, and left Akito's room.

---- At Shigure's House ----

"I understand." Shigure had one hand on the phone and the other one clenched into a fist. Hatori had just delivered Akito's final verdict. "I'll see you in the morning then. Goodnight."

Tohru was hovering nearby to hear what Hatori had to say, but was only met with disappointment when Shigure told her. Yuki and Kyou were both silent. What could they possible do to change Akito's mind?

They all felt helpless. How could they have thought Akito would choose what was best for Shiori over what was best for their family?

That night, Tohru didn't leave Shiori's side. Tohru knew what Akito could be like, but she was hoping that he would take pity on Shiori. "I mean… You don't even have your memory… You've blocked out, whatever it was that hurt you."

From the cringing on Shiori's face, Tohru could tell she was having a bad dream. It was so hard to sit there and not be able to comfort her.

---- The next day ----

Hatori didn't even bother to nock. He knew that Yuki would be out, Kyou would be on the roof, and Shigure would be pretending to busy himself with a manuscript. Tohru on the other hand greeted him with a luke warm smile. This must've been tough on her.

"She'll still be able to go to school tomorrow, right?" Tohru asked.

"I'm sure that won't be an issue." He gave her a reassuring smile, and made his way up to Tohru's room. Tohru had already readied all of Shiori's things, and helped her out of bed. When Hatori entered, Shiori was sitting down reading quietly to herself. A look of disappointment smeared across her face. "Are you ready to go?"

Silently, she closed her book, and rose to her feet. "Yes…"

They walked through the house side by side. Hatori was carrying her bags, and Tohru was helping to make sure Shiori stayed on her feet. Finally, when they reached the door Hatori spoke. "I'll take her from here."

"Okay," Tohru let go of Shiori's shoulders and allowed Hatori to take her. "Goodbye."

"You'll come and visit me, right, mommy?" Shiori said as she walked away.

"Of course!" Tohru said waving furiously.

Hatori opened the car door and allowed Shiori to get into the back seat. Shiori was still looking at the house through the side window as they drove away a few moments later. Finally she sighed and faced forward.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure your living quarters are as comfortable, if not more, as what you had there." A cold, harsh voice reached her ears.

She jerked her head toward the seat next to her. There was a man, dressed all in black, smirking suggestively at her.

Suddenly the fog in her eyes cleared. She remembered the smirk, the awful smirk he gave her as he pinned her to the floor. Terror filled every inch of her body, and her heart began to race. Her fingers trembled, and all she could hear was her own scream. Shiori reached for the car handle, but the door was locked. "NO NO NO!"

She felt hands come and wrap around her. They were trying to secure her. "Calm down!" The voice said. She could feel the tears on her face. "Sit still! I'm not going to hurt you!" His voice seemed angry, but there was something underneath.

"No…" And the fog returned. Safety in forgetting, that's how she thought of it. She soon drifted off to sleep, with the boy's arms still around her.


	7. Ch 7

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Fruits Basket characters or ideas.

My Most Painful Memory

Ch. 7

The next time Shiori came to, she found herself in a large elaborately decorated room. She was on a king size four poster bed, veiled in black. It was see through, so when she looked out, she saw a boy about her age sitting next to a window in a dark purple robe. "Excuse me?"

Akito shifted his head but didn't look directly at her. "Yes?"

"Where exactly am I?" She began to get up, the bruises on her legs were starting to fade, but she pulled her robe tighter around her so they wouldn't be visible.

"You're in my room. You passed out in the car, and for some reason the guest room was ready. It should be done in about an hour, though."

"Oh…" Shiori walked over behind him to look out the window as well. "I must have forgotten."

Akito turned to look at her now, seeing as she was so close.

"Oh, forgive me!" Shiori kneeled down beside him, so that he didn't have to look up at her. "You must be Akito, right?" She smiled kindly. Her reaction now was quite different from that in the car.

"I am. And you are Shiori." He was a little dumbfounded by her sudden change in behavior toward him. First fear, and now kindness… "Tell me, how did you find your way to Shigure's house."

"Shigure? My dog?" Shiori was now confused.

Akito smirked a bit, and turned to look out the window once more. "That's right… Never mind for now."

"You have a beautiful home," Shiori's gaze followed his out the window.

However, Akito was no longer acknowledging her at this point.

She sat there silently with him for a long while, until a knock came at the door. "The guest room is ready, we've already moved all of her things there."

Akito began to rise to his feet and walked toward the door, "come along. The room is just across the hallway." A mischievous smirk came to his face, but he hid it.

"Yes, sir." The moment she said that Akito froze. What was with her? Fear, Kindness, respect… She was going through all of these, what next?

He cleared his throat, and she came beside him. He led her into her room and told her that that was where she would be staying. "Get dressed, I'm going to show you around, so you know where you can and cannot go in my home."

She bowed in compliance.

He left, to his own room, to get dressed.

'She is rather beautiful… And she seems so familiar to me.' Akito said as he slipped his robe off of his shoulders. 'But her eyes are dull. How come?'


End file.
